lester holt is next. breaking news tonight, america on edge in the wake of deadly mass shootings. the headquarters of "usa today" evacuated after a report of a man with a gun chaos in times square, crowds stampeding after hearing what they thought were gunshots moments of terror in a shopping mall, all false alarms causing panic after the shootings that rattled nerves across the country. president trump visiting el paso and dayton speaking with survivors but greeted by protesters >> you are not welcome in this community. >> tonight emotions running high in both grief stricken cities. the just released 911 calls as the horror unfolded in dayton >> there's shots and everybody's laying down. and i don't know where my

friends are. >> and the new video appearing to show the gunman with his sister hours before he killed her and eight other people also tonight, backlash against fitness chains equinox and soul cycle, why their billionaire owner is taking heat, celebrities calling for a boycott, customers using their wallets to send a message. breaking news in the manhunt for two teens wanted in a killing spree, the grizly discovery tonight. daycare danger, the alarmi infant dth >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. good evening, we begin with a nation on edge several frightening scares

revealing our fragile state on the heels of three deadly mass shootings in a week's time the sound of a backfiring motorcycle enough to send thousands fleeing in panic through new york's time square last night and then today, the virginia offices housing "usa today" were evacuated after an unfounded report of a man with a gun anne thompson reports. >> reporter: this is america on edge people running for their lives, terrified it's happening in their town >> i thought i was going to watch my daughter get shot down in front of me >> reporter: workers evacuated today after a report of a former employee with a gun. >> we do have a lot of police now approaching the front of the building >> reporter: authorities found no evidence of violence. but similar scenes across the country. stamdethe oor,ork's times square shoes all over the place >> reporter: seeking safety wherever they could find it. nbc news lindsey wolfson saw the fear firsthand >>he first instinct was oh, my god, this is an attack >> reporter: there was no gun,

just a motorcycle backfiring creating chaos at broadway's "to kill a mockingbird." actor gideon glick tweeting screaming civilians tried to storm our theater for safety the audience starting screaming and the cast fled the stage. this is the world we live in this cannot be our world it is our country. near salt lake city, shoppers ran for cover at west valley mall, mistaking a falling sign for gunshots >> be quiet. >> reporter: these preschoolers in san diego preparing for the real thing 3 and 4-year-olds in an active shooter drill. the cold war's duck and cover drills for a nuclear attack replaced by an all-too-real danger back now in times square where new york city police officers keep a consistent presence with heavy weapons teams you can see and undercover officers you can't. that is true again tonight lester >> those rattled nerves understandable anne, thank you. president trump visited both dayton and el paso today, cities deeply wounded and deeply divided over whether to welcome the president.

trump in two cities devastated by mass shootings met by protesters outside a hospital in dayton but inside greeted warmly by first responders as he also went room to room, talking to survivors. these images captured by the white house. reporters were not allowed in. >> i think the victims and the first responders were grateful that the president of the united states came to dayton. >> reporter: an aim of striking a note of unity in el paso. >> everybody is talking about it and i wanted to thank you. >> reporter: some critics say he shouldn't have come, that his address to the nation earlier this week -- >> in one voice our nation must condemn racism, bigotry, and white supremacy. >> reporter: -- was overshadowed by his divisive language on race and on latino migration. >> that's an invasion. it is an invasion. you know that. >> trump's anger, hate and

divisiveness, and doing nothing, nothing. >> this community needs to heal, does not need more division from this president >> trump's anger, hate, and >> reporter: the president defending himself this morning >> my critics are political people they're trying to make points. in many cases they're running for president and they're very low in the polls >> reporter: tonight in el paso people are in mourning and divided. >> i think we need to hear from him, what he's going to do >> do you think the president should be visiting today >> no. he calls us everything in the book and then to come, you know, we don't -- pardon me, we don't forget what he said about us and what he's created here >> reporter: and on his way here to el paso, the president escalating feuds with his political rivals calling out joe biden and beto o'rourke by name on twitter lester >> all right kristen lkjust released, the heroes who helped save people, and insights about the suspects we have two reports beginning with gabe gutierrez in dayton.

>> reporter: tonight, the first look at the dayton gunman bar appears to be his sister. shortly before his rampage. this surveillance video obtained by cnn shows him at a nearby bar with a woman that appears to be his sister police say about an hour later he would open fire, killing her and eight others as people ran for their lives. >> we have an active shooter on 5th street >> there were shots and everybody laid down. i don't know where my friends are. >> reporter: for the first time the gunman's family is out with a written statement read by police, saying they're shocked and devastated >> they offer their most heartfelt prayers and condolences to all the victims, their families, and friends. >> reporter: lindsaysaid she dated the gunman in high school, and he told her he heard voices >> the voices told him to harm others he was afraid he would end up harming others which is absolutely haunting now. >> reporter: should people have paid more attention to the red flags? >> yes, absolutely

>> reporter: 57-year-old derek fudge was the oldest victim. he died in his son's arms. >> i told him come on dad, we got to get out of here but he never got up i just laid on top of him and hugged him and kept telling him i love you >> reporter: here, the loss is unimaginable so is the strength gabe gutierrez, nbc news, dayton, ohio >> reporter: i'm miguel almaguer in el paso, tonight for a community grieving, the walmart parking lot is a symbol of both heartbreak and hope. 22 lives were lost here, but many more were saved >> i passed by the store today for the first time and i just got a bunch of flash backs. >> help!ng, the walmart employee began rushing dozens >> reporter: when gilbert serna realized gunfire was erupting, the walmart employee began rushing dozens of people out of back doors as shots grew louder, serna ushered more than 150 customers into shipping containers,

perhaps saving their lives >> i will never forget that baby that was covered in blood. i will never forget the faces as they're running out of the fire exits.st >> reporter: tonight, a community hurting and healing with the first of 22 funerals set to begin friday. miguel almaguer, nbc news, el paso, texas. and with pressure growing on lawmakers, it appears there may be momentum tonight to pass something known as red flag laws, less controversial than other gun laws it would allow police to remove weapons temporarily from people who might be a threat. kate snow has more on that tonight. >> reporter: as communities grieve and demand action, republican senator lindsey graham plans to introduce a so-called red flag bill with support from democrats and the >> we're not trying take anybody's gu we're trying to get guns out of the hands of people who are s away from them dangerous who might kill themselves or somebody else. >> reporter: red flag laws exist in 17 states they allow someone to seek an

extreme risk protection order that enables police to temporarily seize weapons from a person who's a danger to themselves or others >> are there any firearms in this house >> reporter: in indiana all these guns were confiscated in a four-month period. >> my son lives with paranoid schizophrenia and when he's not on his medication, he becomes incredibly aggressive and violent. >> reporter: darlene patrick lives in maine where the state voted against the measure last year her son is doing well right now, but twice she's had to figure out how to keep weapons out of his home >> reporter: if you had a way to call the police and make sure your son didn't have a firearm, what would that do for you >> that would give me peace of mind that he wasn't going to hurt himself or anyone else. it would also instill a lot of anto happen to him afterwards >> reporter: the nra does not outright oppose red flag laws but wants due process protections which is what concerns colorado sheriff steveo defend themselves. they don't have a chance to plea

their case >> reporter: and today concerns of a different kind from the senate democratic leader who called the proposed red flag measure tepid and not nearly enough >> is there any evidence that these red flag laws work to reduce the number of shootings >> reporter: early studies suggest that seizing guns can reduce suicide but when it comes to homicides and mass shootings, the evidence is less clear so far advocates of gun laws say they do favor these, because they think it does reduce deaths. >> kate, thanks very much. also tonight backlash is growing against equinox and soul cycle after it was revealed their billionaire owner is set to hold a fund-raiser for the president. stephanie gosk reports it has some celebrities calling for a boycott and customers canceling memberships. high-end fitness brand equinox gym got their members' hearts racing in an entirely different way today. criticism and threats to boycotl

the gym and the spinning soul cycle when it came out the owner is holding a lavish fund-raiser for president trump later this week andy cohen raged outside a gym >> so, equinox and soul cycle are giving our money to the trump campaign >> reporter: but later added he was keeping his membership >> it's everybody's right to give money to whatever candidate they want. >> reporter: equinox says neither equinox nor soul cycle have anything to do with the event and do not support it. wr in a statement, ross writes, i have always been an active participant in the democratic process. i have known donald trump for 40 years. while we agree on some issues, we strongly disagree on many others it's the latest example of people using their wallets as political hammers. some recently boycotted nike for removing a line of shoes with the betsy ross flag. and multiple studios have threatened to pull billions of dollars in business from georgia

over that state's restrictive abortion laws. today was different, anger igniting over not an issue but financial support for an election campaign, raising the stakes for an already charged political climate. also breaking tonight, they're calling it the largest immigration raid in more than a decade i.c.e. agents making 680 arrests at seven food processing plants in mississippi 600 agents carried out the sweeping raids in small towns around jackson where latino immigrants make up much of the workforce. tonight the international man hunt for two teens suspected in a killing spree has come to an end nbc's ron mott has late details for us >> reporter: for three weeks, two suspected teenage killers have evaded capture despite multiple sightings and surveillance video today, a break in the case authorities announced the discovery of two bodies in northern manitoba, believed to be 18-year-old bryer schmegelsky

and 19-year-old kam mcleod >> i'm confident it is them, but to identify them officially and -- to be sure, we have to go to autopsy >> reporter: the teens were on the run after the deaths of three people, including america near a burned pick up truck the teens had chynna deese and her australian boyfriend lucas fowler, both were shot to death, their bodies found july 15th. days later, leonard dyck, a university lecturer found dead near a burned pick up truck the teens had been driving >> it's huge to be able to hopefully give some people an opportunity to exhale, not being afraid of who's out in the woods anymore. >> reporter: a killing spree apparently ending in the dense woods of the canadian wilderness far from where it began. ron mott, nbc news it is a dangerous night ahead for over 50 million people late today a tornado touching down in northern new jersey as severe storms take aim from

north carolina to new hampshire. al roker is here al, where are the threats headed >> reporter: we're watching the radar. we've got severe thunderstorms back through the great lakes, the central plains, and here in the east, major problems, high water rescues in philadelphia. 22 states, 60 million people from the great lakes, central plains, midlantic states on into the northeast. damaging winds really heavy rain and isolated tornados possible. rain fall amounts, 2 to 3 inches from the delmarva peninsula all the way into new england we've got airport delays, boston, new york, d.c., pittsburgh, and buffalo. 4,400 delays and cancellations, lester, and that number is just going to keep up as we move into tonight. lester >> all right, al, thank you. tonight one of america's biggest olympic stars is blasting gymnastics. simone event today tearfully accused the organization of not doing enough to stop former team doctor, larry nasser, from sexually

abusing them >> it's hard coming here for an organization and having had them failed us so many times. and we had one gold. we've done everything that they asked us for even when we didn't want to and they couldn't do one damn job you had one job. you literally had one job, and you couldn't protect us. >> biles and over 300 athletes have accused nasser of abuse he's serving a prison sentence of up to 175 years in a statement usa gymnastics says it has, quote made a lot of progress in strengthening our athlete safety measures and putting our athletes first but we know we have more to do the fbi is appealing for help from the public tonight after brazened armored car heist in philadelphia. surveillance video shows two robbers holding up a guard making an atm delivery and grabbing bags of cash. one seen jumping into the getaway car as guards fire at him. we've got a lot more ahead as we continue tonight why are so many daycare centers using dangerous infant sleepers months after they were recalled? the new report every family should see

also justice for all and freedom after half her life in prison for a woman who's murder conviction many thought was injustice. stay with us stay with us. l] (burke) at farmers insurance, we've seen almost everything, so we know how to cover almost anything. even a "three-ring fender bender." (clown 1) sorry about that... (clown 2) apologies. (clown 1) ...didn't mean it. (clown 3) whoops. (stilts) sorry! (clowns) we're sorry! (scary) hey, we're sorry! [man screams] [scary screams] (burke) quite the circus. but we covered it. at farmers, we know a thing or two because we've seen a thing or two. ♪ we are farmers. bum-pa-dum, bum-bum-bum-bum ♪ (announcer) you can quit. call 1-800-quit-now for help getting free medication. help protect your pet, home, and yard. ah, it ended to soon. with the advantage fleaction plan.

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we're back with alarming news for parents with infants. consumer advocates have found there are still child care businesses using recalled sleep we're back with alarming news for parents with infants. consumer advocates have found there are still child care businesses using recalled sleepers that were linked to dozens of deaths more on that from nbc's kristen dahlgren >> reporter: adam garber was shocked when he learned his son's daycare was still using the rock and play sleeper. after it had been recalled >> yeah, two months after the recall, it was still there in the infant room. >> reporter: the teacher told him she had no idea 4.7 million of the sleepers were pulled from the market in april after being linked to more than 30 deaths. the daycare immediately stopped using it but garber, the consumer watchdog, began investigating if this was an isolated incident. looking at daycares across three states, the group discovered one in ten child care centers was

still using fisher price or kids2 sleepers many saying they were unaware of the recalls. >> they were honestly shocked, confused and concerned, and they wanted to keep those kids safe >> reporter: advocates say when a product is recalled, people typically find out through the media adding it's often up for consumers to sign up for alerts and register their products with the manufacturer >> these companies have amazing direct marketing programs. they directly target us. we see the social media ads, twitter ads, online ads, so can't they use it to warn me about the danger in my home. >> reporter: the cpsc encourages everyone to sign up for the alerts fisher price and kids2 say safety is the priority and both companies tell nbc news they notified consumers on multiple platforms to inform them about the recent recall as well as alerting retailers kids2 adding its products were designed and marketed for single family use only. still, today's findings, sparking fears nationwide there

could be more babies at risk and their caregivers unaware kristen dahlgren, nbc news, new york and in a moment, her murder case led to national outrage now she is free after spending half her life in prison. moment her murder case led to national outrage. now she is free after spending half her life in prison. the clock is ticking on irreversible joint damage. ongoing pain and stiffness are signs of joint erosion. humira can help stop the clock. prescribed for 15 years, humira targets and blocks a source of inflammation that contributes to joint pain and irreversible damage. humira can lower your ability to fight infections. serious and sometimes fatal infections including tuberculosis, and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened; as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. tell your doctor if you've been to areas where certain fungal infections are common, and if you've had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flu-like symptoms or sores. don't start humira if you have an infection.

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back now with our series "justice for all" and the back now with our series "justice for all" and the extraordinary second chance for a tennessee woman who is serving life in prison released today to start her life again our ron allen has details. >> reporter: tonight, cyntoia brown is enjoying her first day of freedom in 15 years, revealing she's written a memoir and gotten married in prison her knew name cyntoia brown long with word of her release at 3:20 a.m., an attorney texting she is free hallelujah >> she's the most amazing transformation of a human being. >> reporter: she's now 31,

sentenced to life for murder at age 16 prosecutors say she shot a man she was trying to rob. but her attorneys argued she'd been forced into prostitution and killed in self-defense the case inspired a documentary and ignited national outrage, #freecyntoiabrown. calling the sentence too harsh, her sentence was computed. >> she really had, you know, done what we hoped and changed her life one of the first things cyntoia said when we walked in to see her in prison was "i won't let you down." >> she earned a high school diploma and two college degrees. >> i've seen students be released i've seen themk enile justice settings using their narrative to help other people >> reporter: exactly what she said she was determined to do, help young women like her from help young women like her from enduring the same ordeal lester tonight a town asking where are the boys

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finally tonight the mystery that caught our attention from poland over the babies being born in one town here's keir simmons. >> reporter: in a village with only one road, they've been having only one kind of baby, girls. a boy hasn't been born here in almost a decade. residents don't know how to account for it perhaps it's the coincidence maybe it's the diet. one thing appears certain, it's not a prob department is mostly female and is loved by residents. and many farm workers here are women too. perhaps it's not a huge anomaly. after all only 272 folks live here while the total number of girls born since boys

disappeared is 12. hardly a baby boom but they would like to have a few more boys around the mayor even offered a reward to the couple who has a baby boy. keir simmons, nbc news >> we'll see what happens. that's "nightly news." i'm lester holt. right now at 6:00, smoke and flames in contra costa county fueled by stlong winds. we'll hear from people who had to stram believe to safety. the alum rock school district, will it be putting school kids in danger. the new battle to keep officers near cam spus. first, a week after the mass shooting in gilroy, the rodeo kicks off in that battered city. tonight, security at the forefront. the news at 6:00 starts right now. good evening. thanks for joining us. i'm jessica aguirre. i'm raj mathai. the sar yus stagvarious stages .

it's the rodeo. >> it's the opening night of that annual event. as you can imagine, security, physical and emotional is a top priority for everyone there. maryan favro is there with the changes they had to make there after the garlic festival attack. >> reporter: one notable change. every visitor's bag will now be searched and strollers checked as well. if you take a look here, you can see that they're getting ready for the barrel races. right now, we're seeing a procession of horses and riders with flags coming in. this is the very beginning of the event as they're filing into this arena. one thing unique about this particular venue is it's very open. as you can see here. that means that's an advantage for security guard. from this small hill, they can see the entire 360-degree